Michigan Dem joins local law firm

Former Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) is joining a Michigan law firm as a senior counsel.

He will begin at Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn, which has five offices throughout the state, in April and work in its Detroit office. 

The firm said on Monday that he would advice the government relations and regulatory practice group, while helping corporations with crisis management, internal investigations and social responsibility and compliance issues.

“It will be a part of my role to help business clients navigate the path to understanding and complying with complex state and federal laws and regulations,” Levin said in a statement. “I also am hopeful that my negotiating experience will be helpful in assisting clients find alternative ways, including mediation, of resolving disputes, and to help them meet their legal, professional and civic responsibilities.”

{mosads}The Michigan Democrat spent 36 years in the Senate and served on the Senate Armed Services Committee, including as the panel’s chairman, on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee.

Although the firm does not have an outpost in DC, it is registered to lobby the federal government for one client – the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), a large industry group.

Ethics laws require Levin to wait two years before registering to lobby his former colleagues, though he has no plans to become a lobbyist, according to a spokesman for the firm.

“He brings to Honigman a profound knowledge of corporate governance, vast experience in complex corporate financial matters, the ability to resolve disputes among parties with divergent interests, a sincere appreciation for entrepreneurship, and deep understanding of all levels of business,” said David Foltyn, the firm’s chairman and chief executive. 

“His skills as a strategist, negotiator and advisor will be a great asset to our clients and our firm,” Foltyn added.

Levin announced in 2013 that he would not seek another term in the Senate, and ended his tenure as the fourth longest-serving incumbent lawmaker in the history of the Senate.